{"id":15642,"date":"2026-03-12T16:01:37","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T15:01:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/acmad.org\/?page_id=15642"},"modified":"2026-03-13T12:36:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T11:36:11","slug":"official-launch-of-african-climate-health-desk","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/acmad.org\/index.php\/official-launch-of-african-climate-health-desk\/","title":{"rendered":"News"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Official launch of african Climate and Health Desk<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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A continental hub connecting climate science and public health action.<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Home<\/a><\/h5>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Project & Partners<\/a><\/h5>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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ACMAD and WHO\/WMO Launch the first Africa Climate\u2013Health Desk to close the Gap Between Climate Prediction and Health Protection<\/h5>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Kigali, Rwanda, 13 March 2026<\/strong> \u2014 To help countries in Africa turn climate and weather information into real, everyday health protection and action, the African Centre of Meteorological Applications for Development (ACMAD), in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) \u2013 World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Climate and Health Joint Programme, has officially launched thefirst Africa Climate\u2013Health Desk hosted at ACMAD in Niamey, Niger.
As extreme heat and other climate and health hazards intensify across the continent, the new Desk isdesigned to translate and transmit life-saving climate intelligence to reach health authorities, hospitals, communities and decision-makers who need it most.<\/p>

The Africa Climate-Health Desk, a specialized unit hosted within a climate and meteorological Centre,is the first of its kind at the regional level in Africa, and second launched globally as part of a comprehensive effort led by the WHO-WMO Joint Programme with funding from Welcome and The Rockefeller Foundation. It will help close the long-standing gap between climate science and public health decision-making by supporting health-relevant climate and weather advisories and bulletins, developing data-driven thresholds that reflect risks to people, and fostering true co-production between meteorological and health institutions.
The Desk will strengthen know-how and build skills across sectors by offering practical training, fellowships, and hands-on support for both national and regional partners; and facilitate closer collaboration between ACMAD and its regional and international partners, such as the World HealthOrganization, the World Meteorological Organization, and the African Centers for Disease Control, and the Weather and Climate Information Services Programme (WISER) under the UK Met Office.
The Africa Climate\u2013Health Desk is launched during the Continental Knowledge-Sharing Workshop, under the Africa Continental Climate Outlook Forum (ACCOF). The ACCOF is a quarterly event which brings together climate scientists from WMO-designated and emergingRegional Climate Centres, National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs), with sectoral partners from across Africa.<\/p>

Tailoring climate\u2013health services for Africa.<\/strong>
Africa is experiencing increasingly frequent and intense climate extremes. Heatwaves, floods, and droughts are placing growing pressure on health systems, food and water security, and national economies. These environmental extremes are also changing the distribution and timing of vector- borne diseases including malaria and dengue, and triggering compound risks such as dust and heat, increasing the risk of meningitis.
To date, the availability, access, and use of information about the weather and climate — and how it can be used to inform health planning and prevention \u2013 has been limited in Africa. Scaling up capacity, partnerships, and tailored climate information\u2014like impact-based early warnings that signal when heat or other hazards begin to threaten people\u2019s health\u2014is essential for earlier and more effective prevention and response. The Africa Climate\u2013Health Desk will address this gap by providing new services which:<\/p>

\u00b7 Translate climate information into health intelligence by producing tailored
climate\u2013health information and advisories for climate sensitive diseases such as heatwave bulletins and malaria-climate risk outlooks to support health authorities anticipate, prepare and respond to health risks related to climate conditions.
\u00b7 Strengthen Meningitis Early Warning System, through collaboration with partners such as WISER and the University of Reading , integrating climate forecasts with epidemiological and environmental data to anticipate disease outbreaks and emergencies response plans.
\u00b7 Foster collaboration between climate and health communities \u2013 meteorological services, health officers, researchers, and regional partners \u2013 to collaboratively design and deploy climate services that meet urgent health-decision needs, and put in place lasting systems that will keep these services running for the long term. The desk will also support the integration of climate information into health adaptation planning and preparedness strategies.
\u00b7 Support capacity building, research and knowledge brokering through on-the-job training, a visiting scientist program, e-courses, convening of national focal points for health at National Meteorological Servand ices in Africa, along with health partner engagement,
\u00b7 Promote information sharing, knowledge exchange and innovation by developing a data portal and climate-health dashboards to facilitate access to climate products, tools, and resources that support climate-resilient health systems across Africa.<\/p>

\u201cClimate change is reshaping health risks across Africa, challenging countries to stay one step ahead. Our real opportunity lies in anticipation: Africa cannot afford to wait for emergencies to unfold. Our desk will build and strengthen collaboration with WMO and WHO, the Africa Centres for Disease
Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) – and partners such as Wiser, Clim-Health Africa, and many others, to support integrating climate information into health decisions so leaders can act earlier, reduce risks, and strengthen resilience where it matters most\u201d, said Dr Ousmane Ndiaye, Director- General of ACMAD<\/strong>. \u201cWith our Climate Services Expert Sandrine Wendlasida Comb\u00e9r\u00e9 leading the Desk, we now have a dedicated point of connection building bridges between the meteorological and health community across the region, so that climate information directly supports prevention, preparedness, and protection of people\u2019s lives and livelihoods.\u201d
The Africa Climate\u2013Health Desk is part of a broader global rollout of Climate\u2013Health Desks across Africa, Asia, and the Americas, designed to build capacity, support research, and turn climate intelligence into practical health action. Supported by Wellcome and The Rockefeller Foundation, as part of the Climate and Health Science and Service Accelerator, the Desks will address long standing gaps, and help health systems receive the climate intelligence they need to better safeguard and protect health.<\/p>

\u201cThe launch of the Africa Climate\u2013Health Desk marks an important milestone creating, for the first time, a regional multi-disciplinary team who can innovate, consolidate, and strengthen authoritative information on climate risks to health,\u201d said Joy Shumake-Guillemot, Head of the WHO\u2013WMO Climate and Health Joint Programme. \u201cFollowing the launch of the South Asia Climate\u2013Health Desk based in India last month, today we take another step toward ensuring that climate and health communities are better connected, better informed, speak the same language, and are equipped to better work together on concrete analytics and decision-support tools. Ultimately, this means local leaders know what to do when severe weather warnings are issued; families know how to protect themselves from extreme heat and when to seek care; and health workers receive the right alerts so they can respond effectively.<\/p>

In short: earlier warnings, better planning, clearer advice, and faster local
response\u201d, said Shumake-Guillemot.<\/p>

Media contacts:<\/strong><\/p>

ACMAD<\/strong>
Press and Media Officer Serge Bayala,
s.bayala@acmad.org<\/a><\/p>

Climate-Health Desk: Services Expert Sandrine Wendlasida Comb\u00e9r\u00e9, wendlasida.combere@acmad.org<\/a><\/p>

WHO\/WMO Climate and Health Joint Programme<\/strong>
Communications Manager Petra Hongell,
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13 March 2026<\/strong> <\/span><\/p>

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Launch of the first Africa Climate\u2013Health Desk to close the Gap Between Climate Prediction and Health Protection\u200b<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Press Releases<\/strong><\/p>

ENG<\/a> |\u00a0<\/strong>FR<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Official launch of african Climate and Health Desk A continental hub connecting climate science and public health action. Home Project & Partners Service & Products Case Studies ACMAD and WHO\/WMO Launch the first Africa Climate\u2013Health Desk to close the Gap Between Climate Prediction and Health Protection Facebook Twitter Youtube Kigali, Rwanda, 13 March 2026 \u2014 To help countries in Africa<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"template-fullwidth.php","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_eb_attr":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-15642","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/acmad.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/15642","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/acmad.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/acmad.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acmad.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acmad.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15642"}],"version-history":[{"count":25,"href":"https:\/\/acmad.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/15642\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15695,"href":"https:\/\/acmad.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/15642\/revisions\/15695"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/acmad.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15642"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}